Renal responses to mental stress and epinephrine in humans

Renal blood flow, renal sympathetic nerve activity, and renin release responses to mental stress (Stroop's color-word conflict test; CWT) and intravenously infused epinephrine (Epi) were evaluated in 12 healthy volunteers. The overflows of norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) to renal venous plasma were measured as indexes of nerve activity; the fractional extraction of Epi was used to assess renal catecholamine extraction from arterial plasma. At rest, NE and DA levels were higher in renal venous plasma than in arterial plasma. Arterial Epi levels were 0.26 +/- 0.04 nmol/l, and the fractional extraction of Epi by the kidney was 46 +/- 4%. CWT increased renal vascular resistance (RVR) by 48%, renal venous NE overflow by 214% (to 708 +/- 79 pmol/min), and DA overflow by 42% (to 34 +/- 4 pmol/min). Arterial Epi increased by 197%. The vasoconstrictor response was correlated with the NE overflow response. The increased renin release (from 75 to 247 U/min, median values; P less than 0.001) was correlated to increases in mean arterial pressure and NE and DA overflows. Epi infusion increased arterial plasma Epi and renin release dose dependently to 6.43 +/- 0.27 nmol/l and by 664%, respectively. RVR and NE and DA overflows were unchanged. Renal venous DA data support the existence of a subset of renal dopaminergic nerves. Mental stress causes renal vasoconstriction, apparently due to increased renal sympathetic nerve activity. Physiological increments of circulating Epi do not affect renal blood flow but enhance renin release markedly without apparent activation of the renal nerves in humans.